Arguably, the best free agent signing the San Francisco 49ers made this offseason was former Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson.
He is a player who will help shrink the hole left by Brandon Aiyuk as he recovers from a torn ACL and MCL. However, Robinson is more than a temporary Aiyuk fill-in.
Robinson gives the 49ers a boost in the red zone, provides a vertical threat, and gives them a veteran presence in the wide receiver room. Most of the players are young at the position.
Having a veteran there is huge for the 49ers. Even Brock Purdy is seeing the benefit of having Robinson aboard the team.
“Demarcus has been awesome," Purdy said. "Just having that veteran receiver in that receiving core and receiving room and showing those guys, sort of just what it's like to be a vet receiver. He's very smart. He's come in, he's learned the playbook, and not only that, like he's actually gone out every single day and just competed and getting up and down with the ball and tracking the ball in and getting in and out of cuts as well."
Robinson is making it easy for Purdy during OTAs. He doesn't have to be a coach as much as he would've if Robinson weren't there.
Right now, Robinson is showcasing how plays, routes, and attentiveness need to be executed. Having Purdy's stamp of approval is only going to cement his credentials.
"You could just tell like he's a seasoned vet. He's been here, how certain routes are supposed to be ran, just being on top of everything, not really messing up. I feel like he's done a great job and we're going to continue to learn each other and how he gets around and how I can get him the ball. So just lifting, the meetings, all the things, like just seeing him in the locker room talking and stuff, you could just tell like he's been in the league for a while. So that's pretty special to have in this locker room and especially for those young guys too. So he's a great leader and I'm excited to go work with him.”
The 49ers will likely be without Robinson at the beginning of the season. Robinson was arrested for a DUI in January, so the NFL is bound to suspend him for at least a few games.
